Orubebe to Know Fate Oct. 4 as CCT Shifts Judgment

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has shifted the judgment in the case involving the Former Minister of Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Elder Godsday Orubebe.
Orubebe is standing trial for false declaration of assets.
The judgment was initially fixed for September 21, 2016 but now adjourned to October 4.
The former Minister, who the Federal Government put on trial at the
CCT, was said to have failed to declare a plot of land situated at Asokoro, Abuja, which he acquired while in office.
In the one-count amended charge, the Federal Government alleged that
the former Minister failed to declare his ownership of Plot 2057,
situated at Asokoro District in Abuja.
He was said to have committed an offence contrary to Section 15 of
Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Cap. 15 laws of the
Federation of Nigeria, 2014, and punishable under Section 23(2) of the
same Act.
While testifying as the second defence witness, Orubebe
explained that he failed to declare the plot of land in 2011 because
he had sold it to his landlord before he made the last asset
declaration while leaving office.
Led in evidence by his lawyer, Selekowei Larry (SAN), Orubebe, who
said he sold the barren plot of land at N10m, explained that he
also did not declare it when he assumed office in 2007 because it was
not allocated to him then.
He said the land was allocated to him by the Federal Government, as a
Minister, through the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister.
He said he never visited the plot of land because it was in an
undeveloped part of Abuja, and that he sold it to pay his rents, at N5m
per annum, for two years (2009-2010 & 2010-2011).
He expressed regret that he was subjected to trial over an “empty plot
of land in a bush,” which he said, was allocated to him by the
government in which he served.